Morgan shares her three plus size cesarean birth stories. Her unique stories show how connecting with a size-friendly care provider can positively impact how people feel about their birth experiences.
Plus Size Cesarean Birth Stories
For many years, Morgan avoided going to the doctor for fear of being mistreated because of her size.
As Morgan started trying to conceive, she had some concerns. So, she reached out to a plus size friend who shared they had great pregnancies and encouraged her to “Go for it!”
Morgan connected with an OB-GYN a co-worker recommended.
During her first prenatal visit, her care provider reassured Morgan that she could have a healthy plus size pregnancy!
Her care provider’s office had size-inclusive seating options. Morgan’s weight was taken discretely, and the number was never said out loud. She felt completely supported!
One time she had her blood pressure taken with the wrong-size cuff. Her care provider noticed the inconsistent reading and the regular-sized cuff hanging on the wall. She acted immediately by not only training her staff but also encouraging Morgan to always advocate for herself!
During Morgan’s first pregnancy, she didn’t have any complications until 35 weeks when she developed HELLP Syndrome.
HELLP Syndrome is extremely serious, and she needed to be induced right away. Her care provider did all she could to help Morgan have a vaginal birth, but her body was not ready.
Following twelve hours of trying to get labor going, her son was born via cesarean birth.
Sadly, ten days following her cesarean birth, her incision opened.
Her care provider went above and beyond to make sure Morgan recovered from this complication.
Before getting pregnant with her second child, Morgan met with her OB-GYN. She wanted to ask about her risk of having complications with future pregnancies.
Related: Why We Need To Be Talking About Weight Stigma In Maternity Care
Her OB-GYN didn’t discourage her at all from growing her family. She even encouraged her to have a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). Unfortunately, she was the only provider in her practice who supported VBAC.
Morgan’s second plus size pregnancy was completely healthy and healing.
Then, nearing the end of her pregnancy, Morgan’s choices became limited for her birth because her care provider had a vacation planned for July 4th.
By July 3rd, she hadn’t gone into labor on her own for a VBAC. So, Morgan chose to have a cesarean birth with her care provider she knew and trusted.
Throughout her birth, Morgan felt fully supported as her care provider took her time and provided excellent care. Her birth plan was honored, and this experience was completely different from her first.
Related: Powerful Conversation About Plus Size Pregnancy With An OB-GYN
This postpartum experience was also completely different from her first. In her words, it was “a piece of cake!”
Then, Morgan had a surprise third pregnancy!
While she wanted a big family, the timing of this pregnancy was a surprise. It took a while to get pregnant with her first two, but she got pregnant immediately with her thrid.
Everything went smoothly overall, aside from needing a three-hour glucose screen for gestational diabetes that she passed.
Morgan’s OB-GYN brought a midwife onto her team, and that midwife was by Morgan’s side the entire time.
Sadly, at 34 weeks, she was informed her beloved care provider had a stroke. Morgan was devastated!
During that same visit, Morgan asked for an ultrasound to see her baby in hopes it would cheer her up.
During that ultrasound, they found some complications, and Morgan’s pregnancy became high-risk.
The fact that it was the holidays further complicated things with needing to find a new care provider.
She realized a VBAC was probably out of the question, and she needed to find a new care provider for a cesarean birth.
Morgan had the peace of mind of knowing what to expect from her upcoming birth.
Sadly, this new care provider wasn’t very size-inclusive. His scale didn’t even go beyond 300 lbs, so she was unable to weigh-in at his office.
She delivered at 37 weeks via cesarean birth, and it wasn’t a magical experience. Thankfully, her midwife, who was present for her second birth, was by her side the entire time.
That continuity of care made a big difference!
A small wound vac supported Morgan’s recovery following her third cesarean birth, and it was a positive postpartum experience.
Listen to Morgan share her three plus size cesarean birth stories during episode 126 of the Plus Mommy Podcast.
Recording & Show Notes: Plus Mommy Podcast Episode 126
Resources Mentioned On The Show:
- Here you’ll find more information on HELLP Syndrome and ICAN. And the Traxi panniculus retractor mentioned during the episode (that I don’t do the best job explaining as I got it confused with another similar item.)
- We have helpful cesarean birth and apron belly resources for plus size people.
- You can connect with Morgan on Instagram at @morgandavis39
Thank You To Our Sponsor:
This episode is also brought to you by Plus Size Birth! Use coupon code PlusMommy to receive 20% off the My Plus Size Pregnancy Guide that covers everything you could want to know about having a plus size pregnancy.